A Child of Dawn and Dusk
by PebbleDrop856
Summary: Arthur was saved at Avalon. Magic has been restored to Camelot. Merlin has been made Court Sorcerer. Camelot enters her second Golden Age. What could go wrong? But when a secret of Merlin's appears in the form of his daughter with the late Morgana, he must go to great lengths to protect his new child from the dark past of her parents.
1. Arrival

**Title: **The Child of Dawn and Dusk

**Prologue: **Arthur survives Camlann because Merlin called the Great Dragon the moment Gaius returned to Camelot. This unfortunately causes the death of the Great Dragon due to him using the last of his strength to carry the Once and Future King and Emrys to the Lake of Avalon. This also ensures Morgana did not die after Camlann. Arthur eventually returns magic to Camelot and Merlin is made Court Sorcerer, while Morgana appears as if she had disappeared off the face of the Earth. Camelot begins to enter her second Golden Age, with the ushering in of peace and tranquility throughout the kingdom. Our story begins on the first annual anniversary of the return of magic to Camelot…

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_Dawn. Dusk. They are both strikingly different but both share an important similarity. Both symbolize a time in which the light and the darkness fuse as one in a way that leaves something beautiful and precious._

Merlin could not believe his eyes as he observed the feasting hall of the castle. Sorcerers and sorceresses were gathered at the tables, showing off their magic without fear of persecution. Today had been an amazing day for those with magic for that day was Sorcery Day in Camelot, which was the same day Arthur repealed the ban on magic. That had happened exactly a year ago. Today was a day to celebrate the day magic became free and a day to mourn those who had died during the persecution of magic.

The day had been lined with several activities, all overseen by the Court Sorcerer Merlin. No longer was he a servant to Arthur, although he was still seen frequently in the king's company. The day had begun with the arrival of sorcerers and sorceresses from across the land to compete in the first annual Magic Tournament. Of course, Merlin had forbidden himself to attend the tournament. He could easily pull an "Emrys" and literally shock the competition. Instead, he took the role of judge. The tournament was won by a middle-aged woman whose specialty was turning her opponents into animals. Of course, the strategy was not always ideal in her favor, but the woman eventually did win the entire tournament. Merlin could not admit to not having the desire to face the woman in a magical duel, but he did not want to ruin Camelot's first magical champion's victory. Instead, he clapped along with the rest of Camelot as the king congratulated her and she was invited to the feast later tonight.

After the tournament, the town square was lined with magicians hoping to impress visitors and citizens alike with their magic. Demonstrations often included flowers, small animals, fire, etc. Merlin couldn't help but think what Uther would think of all the magic that occurred in Camelot on this day. "_Execute him, and her, and them, and everyone!_" thought Merlin, smiling at the idea because it was no longer possible for the tyrannical king to execute people with the inert ability of magic.

A surprise came with the arriving visitors of Camelot. Alice, ex-fiancé of Gaius, arrived among the visitors. She had hoped to surprise Gaius and she succeeded. With the ban of magic revoked, the two could finally marry and spend their life together as they were supposed to twenty years ago. They immediately reengaged and they were to have small wedding in a few days' time. Merlin may or may not have had a hand in the matter. When he had moved out of Gaius' chambers because he had been offered his own in the castle as Court Sorcerer, he noticed the old physician grow lonely. That was when he embarked on a journey to seek out Alice and bring her back to Camelot. He had succeeded, but she mentioned that she would return in her own time and soon. Today had been that day.

The day ended with the Feast of Sorcery. The hall was filled with notable sorcerers from around Camelot, including a number of druids. There was now even a Druid Ambassador at the Round Table, while Merlin served as a representative of all magic-users. Of course, there were the Knights of the Round Table present. And then there was the pregnant Queen Guinevere who was far into her pregnancy and looked as if she was ready to give birth that night. The feast began with Arthur reciting a speech Merlin made for him about the return of magic to Camelot. George had long ago replaced Merlin as the king's servant, but some things would never change. Speech-writing was just one of a number of things on the unchangeable list of duties Merlin did for the king.

"One year ago, a day such as today would have been thought of as impossible and illegal. However, one year ago, I realized that magic should not be an evil force. The only evil in magic are the ones who use it for evil. The same way the only evil in swords are the ones who use it for so. This realization was all thanks to my amazing and heroic friend, Merlin," Arthur said, shooting a look at him for praising himself. "He summoned the Great Dragon who brought me to the Lake of Avalon even when the dragon was severely injured on his wing. The dragon died, unfortunately. But it was not in vain. The Sidhe of Avalon, they healed me. I know the Sidhe to be against my rule, but they saw my acceptance of magic beginning to form and they healed me. I then returned to Camelot with Merlin and restored magic to the land, with the help of The Round Table. I would now like to take a moment to for us to think of those we lost during the Great Purge and afterwards. Tonight, my thoughts go to my sister Morgana. She may be alive, possibly, but it was because of the ban on magic that turned her into who she is today."

The hall immediately went quiet as everyone thought of those. Merlin's thoughts went to Morgana as well, along with all his friends he had made and lost. These people included Alator of the Catha, Finna, Freya, the druids, the list went on. But somehow, Morgana kept cropping back into his mind.

"Let us- "Arthur began, but he was interrupted by the appearance of a howling wind and a tornado-like force in the middle of the hall. The knights immediately drew their swords, but Merlin held his hand up to signal them to stop. Each knight shared a look of confusion as Merlin slowly walked up to the howling tornado, his arm outstretched, ready for magic.

The wind eventually died down. What was revealed caused Merlin to take a few steps back. A white dragon was curled over a baby in a pink blanket. A note was leaning against the baby. Merlin took it.

"_Emrys. No, Merlin. In my days, I have done many, many wrongs. But I will never forget that day. Never. My days are soon to come to an untimely end. I leave you with Anabel. You know who she is and where she came from. Take care of Aithusa and my daughter, please Merlin. You know the connection you share with her._

_- Morgana Pendragon_"

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**Author's Notes: Hi everyone! I really should not be doing another fanfiction while I'm in the literal midst of True Extent, but this has been a burning idea in me and I couldn't help it. To make it worse, school starts tomorrow too. Oh well!**

**I'm trying to decide whether this should be a two- or three-shot or a multi-chapter story. Depends if I get somewhere with the plot. **

**Next chapter will have more information on how Anabel was made. Well, I guess the "how" is a little obvious, but I'll explain the "why". I won't go into detail on the "how" XD **

**Anyways, thank you for reading and please review!**


	2. Love

_Flashback_

_Morgana smiled a radiant smile, one that had not appeared on her face in the longest time. A smile that was new to her as it was associated with a feeling she had never truly felt before with anyone. Love. She was lying on grassy hill, admiring the sky with someone who she never would have thought about being with until a month ago. She was laid down on her back, with her lover's head on her stomach. She ran her fingers through his raven hair as he admired her beautiful face, believing her face was far more beautiful than the amazing scenery they had found themselves in. That man's name was Merlin._

_"Come back to Camelot," suggested Merlin._

_"You know I can't do that anymore," she said with an air of sadness. "I'm not welcome."_

_"If you can convince me that you've changed, you can convince them. They're not even searching for you anymore," said Merlin, looking into her eyes, pleading-like as he twirled her black hair between his fingers. It was no longer a tangled mess ever since Merlin had begun visiting her, it was more laid down and normal-like. "I don't want to keep us a secret anymore. I'm tired of secrets."_

_"I can never return to Camelot, I can't forgive myself for everything I did to them. Everything I did to you," she said,_

_"I've had my share of causing pain as well," he said. A painful memory of him holding her poisoned body in his arms was glued to his mind like a painting on a wall that would never wash away, forever reminding him of how he lost someone he cared deeply about, even if he did not know it at the time. It reminded him of how he turned Morgana's heart dark. "I started this all, it's all my fault."_

_"But, you ended it. Mistakes of the past don't matter if you end up fixing them. I know that better than anyone," she said, holding her hand to his worried face. "And you brought my heart back to the light, never forget that," she added, as if she had read his thoughts. "I'll never forget that day. Never. The day you found me."_

_"More like the wraith had found you," he laughed, remembering the day. A wraith had been summoned by an unknown sorcerer for reasons unknown. The body of the wraith was a sorcerer named Ari in Morgana's old army during the Battle of Camlann. Morgana had taken his magic through use of a Dark magical creature for a mere experiment that would then be brought upon Merlin to take away his magic. Ari had apparently escaped Morgana's army, but died later by unknown means. But he had sworn vengeance on Morgana for taking his magic away. Merlin had felt the presence of the wraith while on patrol with Arthur and went to investigate on his own as he did not know it was a wraith, only that the beast had emitted strong Dark magic that he had sensed. Finally, he had tracked the wraith to the Valley of the Fallen Kings. That was when he saw Morgana backed against a large boulder as the wraith was about to kill her. Her sword, which was Mordred's sword that had been burnished in Aithusa's fire, was on the ground and too far for her to use it. Merlin had used his magic to lift the sword into the air and slay the wraith as it was one of the two known swords that could slay the horrendous and murderous beast. That was the beginning of a rekindled friendship and not-so-far-away romance as he discovered that she was remorseful of her actions and was willing for the wraith to kill her. The regret had been ripping her inside and she wanted to die for her wrongs, which was the reason why she did not use her own magic to get the sword. Merlin had saved her, in more ways than just killing the wraith. She had thought no one would ever forgive her, but he found it in his heart to do so because he had always regretted poisoning her and hoped for forgiveness of his own actions. It was a day that neither of them would ever forget._

_"Okay, the wraith did find me," she admitted, smiling. "But you saved me."_

_"I like the sound of that, makes me look like a hero," he said, poking her cheek for fun._

_"Oh yes, the great Emrys comes to save the day for the damsel in distress," she said, swatting his hand away as they laughed. When they stopped laughing, they found that their eyes had met and their lips craved each other, a craving that both of them obliged._

_However, their kiss was cut short as they clouds began to rain down heavily. An odd occurrence as it had seemed that the clouds were few in numbers just minutes ago. They found themselves dancing in the rain, kissing multiple times, and even becoming a little immature and using magic to create spheres of water which they tossed at each other. Finally, lightning shot across the sky and thunder boomed._

_"I have to go, and you need to go back to Camelot," said Morgana, blocking away a sphere of water. "Hurry, they're going to wonder where you are."_

_"Well, I can't exactly return to Camelot in this weather. I might catch a cold or something and what would they think of their Court Sorcerer walking into the palace in this state?" he said, smiling a smile that held a hidden intention._

_"Then find a cave and build a fire in there!" Morgana said, knowing what he was implying, but still decided to tease him._

_"Well, who knows where the nearest cave is?" asked Merlin innocently._

_"Valley of the Fallen Kings. Five minutes away on foot," instructed Morgana, knowing the terrain better than anyone._

_"But there are bandits," complained Merlin in a child-like tone._

_"And you are the great Emrys," countered Morgana. "Bandits are nothing against you."_

_"Well, I don't want to hurt anyone. It would be very bad to be hurt in this type of weather."_

_"Well, that's what they get for being bandits instead of honest citizens."_

_"Well, they're still human."_

_"Bad humans."_

_"Damn it Morgana, will you just let me stay the night at your hut?" said Merlin, giving up because he knew he would never win this playful argument. Of course, he could win a magical duel with anyone in the world, but when it came to a argument, whether it be serious or not, with his girlfriend, losing was an old friend of his._

_"Well, why didn't you just ask?" asked Morgana innocently, a tone that perfectly matched Merlin's previous one._

**[Timeskip here because we all know what happened that night and the T-rating and my inexperience in writing scenes of the nature prevent me from elaborating :p ]**

_A few weeks passed after that night. Merlin knocked on the door of her hut, holding lavender roses in his hand that he had summoned with magic five minutes prior to knocking. The door opened and a beautiful face greeted his eyes._

_"Morgana! I'm sorry I haven't visited in so long. The Royal Prat aka your half-brother had me with him on a diplomatic mission in the Northern Plains. It took forever," explained Merlin, kissing her after he explained his sudden disappearance._

_"It's okay, Merlin," she said, breaking away from the kiss. "Come in." She looked solemn and didn't take the flowers he had presented._

_"Okay?" said Merlin unsurely, flowers in hand. "So, I picked these for you."_

_"Liar," Morgana said, easily seeing through him as a small smile appeared on her face. "You used magic. You can't find lavender roses at this time of year."_

_"Okay, fine, I'm caught. But they're pretty, so just take them," he said, hoping to receive a broader smile from her, but no such thing occurred._

_"Merlin, we need to talk," she said, refusing to look at him in the eye._

_He set the flowers onto the table, grabbed her hand, and asked, "Morgana, what's wrong?"_

_"We can't see each other anymore," she said, her eyes trained on the floor as if there was something that caught her eye there. Or maybe she did not want to catch Merlin's eye. "It just isn't right."_

_"Right? Morgana, these have been the best weeks of my life with you. Is it because I'm always in Camelot? I'm not asking you to return. You know what? I'm going to run away from Camelot so we can be together. At the end of it all, it doesn't matter how successful I've become if I don't have anyone to share it with. So, I'm going to leave Camelot and be with you," he burst out._

_"Merlin, Merlin, no. Your life is with Camelot, my life isn't. I'm not going to rip you from that. And I don't want to keep risking your life just to keep seeing me. Don't lie and say Arthur and Gwen haven't suspected your recent solo outings from Camelot. They're not stupid, they are the monarchs of the Golden Age of Camelot and you said yourself that they would unite Albion," explained Morgana. "It's better we end it now before you get in trouble. I'm still the enemy remember?"_

_"Morgana, please. Don't do this to me. I love you," he said, hoping he could say anything to change her mind. Already he felt his heart beginning to tear into a million pieces._

_"Merlin, I love you too. So much. But it's better we end it on our terms, not Camelot's. They're going to find out at some point if we keep doing this," Morgana said, her eyes beginning to well up with tears._

_"I don't care about them, Morgana! I care about you!" Merlin said anxiously._

_"Don't lie Merlin, you care about Arthur, Gwen, the knights, and Camelot so much you've put your life on the line for them so many times," said Morgana._

_Merlin remained silent, so Morgana continued, "Merlin, please. I think it's time you go. I'm so sorry. You know I will always love you, but this is how it is meant to be."_

_Merlin stared at her in the eye with a hard expression before he walked out the door, slamming it for good measure. She heard him say a spell outside and the lavender roses on the table burned with his hurt and angst. A tear rolled down her cheek as she stared at the bed she had lain in, a bed she and Merlin had shared, a bed where she was presented with the dream of giving birth to a baby girl who bore the eyes of Merlin and had his raven black hair._

* * *

**Author's Notes: I really am sorry this took so long to get out! School has been hell on me. But I do promise to update both my fanfics at least once a week. **

**Anyways, this has really been my favorite chapter to ever write from both my fanfics. I just love doing Mergana scenes, but this one ended badly. Also, I have a weird thing about associating lavender roses with Mergana moments (I'm pretty sure there's a lavender rose somewhere in True Extent of Her Powers). It's odd, but I really like having lavender roses when it comes to those two. **

**Actually, fun fact that I just looked up as I was typing this A/N: As with all roses, the lavender rose has its own unique meaning. These roses are often a sign of ****enchantment ****and love at first sight. Also, because a lavender rose is the closest relative to a blue rose (which isn't natural, so the blue rose is often associated with a sense of ****magic****), it can sometimes represent the symbolism of the blue rose. **

**I was stunned to know the meaning of the lavender rose and to see its coincidence with Mergana, with its symbolism of magic and enchantment. And who could ever forget the time Merlin first saw Morgana? There's definitely something there at first sight. **

**So yeah, it was something I found when I Googled lavender roses and its meaning was one the search results so I got curious and I felt like sharing. I honestly had no idea lavender roses stood for those meanings (I didn't even know roses had meanings). I love when coincidences happen. **

**So, enough with that rose nonsense. Thank you for reading and please review! I'll hopefully update soon!**


	3. Broken

_Morgana cried when she went to bed that night. She hated herself for cutting Merlin away from her life. He had been the only one to ever know her predicament and past and forgive her for all of it. He had been the only one she had loved. And she sent him away. Tears continued to run down her face as memories of their happiness together flowed through her mind. The numerous times he gave her a lavender rose (which he strangely had a fondness for whenever he gave them to her), the walks in the woods, the lazy afternoons they spent lying on the hills, the jokes they made about their previous animosity, and it all ended with the night they spent at her hut. The feel of his warmth against hers as the rain pounded on the roof, his lips slammed passionately onto hers, his body tossed onto hers, his hands traveling down her sides as her arms wrapped around his neck, all while they forged their own kind of magic. She could still feel his warmth, his lips, his body, and his hands, but all they were now were ghosts of the past that would stay that way because of the fateful decision she had made. Her hands traveled to her stomach, even though there were no signs of it, she knew a child had been conceived. The dream and the absence of menstruation confirmed this. She made the decision to not tell Merlin because she did not want him to leave his life in Camelot to raise his child. It was a selfish decision, she knew, but she could not bear the idea of Camelot under attack without the most powerful sorcerer to help. His life was, and would always be, with Camelot. Not with Morgana. Throughout all the time she spent with him, she had known that it would always be that way. She punched her pillow, forced the tears to stop, and attempted to sleep. It was futile. The passionate memories returned to mind. She finally fell asleep with the image of Merlin's broken eyes and the burning roses glued to her mind._

_Merlin's night did not go as well either. Upon returning to Camelot, Arthur and Gwen knew at once the warlock was not in the highest of spirits. Arthur attempted to bicker with him to cheer him up while Gwen tried calmly talking to him. None of it worked as he would never confess what had transpired moments ago. He could never tell them of his passionate romance with an old enemy of Camelot. They might have forgiven him in time, the same as they had done with his magic, but he knew it best never to tell the monarchs the reasons behind his outings. When he went to bed, he was bitter, confused, and most of all, heartbroken. Heartbroken because he had so many hopes for them, but now all that remained were broken hopes and memories that would never lead to anywhere but heartbreak. _

_Over the course of the next month, Merlin's outings from Camelot did not decrease. Instead, it seemed they had doubled. He wanted to find Morgana and fix things between them. He refused to lose her a second time. But it was to no avail. Her hut was completely empty of any trace of her and it seemed she had used magic to prevent him from tracking her to wherever she was. He scoured the realm for her, but he could never find her. Eventually, it came to the point where Arthur, still in the dark about his reasons, was forced to keep Merlin in Camelot because he feared for his friend's sanity. It was the right decision. _

_Merlin wanted to have Morgana with him again desperately. For once in his life, he felt like Uther. The way he relentlessly scoured the kingdom to find Morgana despite everyone's suggestions for him to back down from a hopeless cause. But it wasn't hopeless. They had found her eventually back then. Merlin held onto that hope that she would return to his side, whether he was allowed to search for her or not. _

_Merlin remained at the castle. He grew tired of lying to his friends about his searches and tired of the same broken expression every time he returned home. Maybe if he attempted to return to normal life, the life he shortly had after Camlann and before reuniting with Morgana, he could forget. He could forget those days they spent with each other, the night they became one. _

_And it worked. Ever since Arthur prevented him from leaving Camelot unless ordered to, he began to forget her. He faced the day with a smile, assisting his fellow sorcerers, teaching the young warlocks the ways of magic and utilizing it for good, making fun of the king, hanging out with the knights, anything to block his thoughts of Morgana. But there were those nights he laid awake in his lonely chambers, staring into the ceiling as his thoughts were of the pale-faced, dark-haired, beautiful High Priestess. _

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**Author's Notes: Hey everyone! Just another flashback chapter. I promise the next one will return to the story's main timeframe, but I felt a need to share their views on their relationship and breakup (plus, I happened to be listening to sad breakup songs for no damn reason and I got inspired to write this lol). **

**I was originally going to tie together this chapter and the next one that was in the main timeframe, but they felt too different to be in the same one. So, luckily, that means most of the next chapter is already written! I'll have it up soon ASAP! **

**Also, I decided that this WILL be a multichapter fanfic instead of a three-shot I had originally planned. The original story plot was basically going to go as followed: Chapter 1) We find out about Morgana and Merlin's child; Chapter 2) Mergana romance; Chapter 3) Everyone's reaction to the child and the child being welcomed into Camelot. Happy Ending! ****But now I thought of a long-term plot that I really want to try out, so yay!**

**Thank you all for reading and please review! **


	4. Friend

Merlin paced around his chambers. The feast had been cancelled on the king's request. The note was crumpled in his hands. He opened it, but he knew the words by memory. Morgana was dying, possibly already dead, he had a daughter named Anabel, and he was entrusted by Anabel's mother to take care of her and Aithusa. He imagined Morgana's hand writing the letter, the baby in one arm as she wrote her final form of communication to her love. Had she fallen prey to disease? Was that how she knew she was dying? Had her Seer abilities warned her? Did she already die? These questions filled his brain. He yearned to see his daughter, who had been taken into Gaius' care to examine her and he had demanded that Merlin not be in the chambers. What if she had not survived the teleportation? It was a powerful spell that had sent her and Aithusa, who was told to wander the skies of Camelot, to the kingdom. Would her fragile body survive it? He could not bear to bury the daughter he had just discovered he had. His pacing increased.

When the door opened, Merlin immediately hoped it was Gaius in the doorway, a healthy baby girl in his arm. Instead, it was Arthur. _Here it comes,_ thought Merlin, expecting a long lecture from the king about what the hell his Court Sorcerer had been up to with Camelot's number one enemy. Merlin had already showed the king the note that Morgana had left. It was going to be known at some point anyways. He decided it would have been better to rip the bandage off now. Upon reading the note, the king had left to another chamber without a word, throwing it onto the ground. Gwen walked into the room with her enlarged, pregnant body. She looked winded, as is he had rushed as fast as she could in her state to join Merlin and Arthur.

"Arthur, think about what you're going to say," advised Gwen slowly, not wanting to see a fight between friends.

"No, Gwen, let him say what he wants," said Merlin. "Anything the prat says, it might be true and I'd have deserve it."

"Merlin," Arthur began. "How? Why? When?"

"How? Well, kind of the same way Gwen's pregnant," said Merlin, sincerely hoping to lighten the mood. "A bed, two people, feelings-"

"Merlin!" exclaimed Gwen, hiding a smile and her laughter.

"Merlin?" began Arthur in an all too familiar tone. "Shut up! I'm being serious, you need to explain this before I run you through! You consorted and fraternized with a well-known enemy of Camelot! That is treason by association! Explain yourself!"

"Okay, okay. I met her. She changed. She doesn't – didn't want to destroy Camelot anymore," said Merlin, looking at the ground.

"So why didn't she return to Camelot and try to make amends?" questioned Arthur. "There's maybe a chance that reconciliation could have occurred if she really did repent her actions."

Merlin was about to speak, but Gwen interrupted, "I know why. She made mistakes and hurt people in Camelot. She felt like the people she betrayed and hurt would never forgive her, and even if they did, she could never forgive herself."

"That's exactly how she felt," said Merlin, surprised. "How did you know?"

She looked at the ground and then at Arthur, and said intently, "Because that's exactly how I felt when I betrayed you."

The king took the queen's hand and said, "That's long in the past."

"And the past in unchangeable," noted Gwen, before looking back Merlin as she was eager to change the subject. "Tell us the story, all of it. No interruptions. At all."

"Okay," said Merlin, taking a deep breath. "I found her one day. She was being chased by a wraith and it was near immortal. I slayed it and we reconciled with each other. I forgave her for her mistakes, and she mine. And, after that, we just fell in love. It happened so fast, so quickly, but it felt like we were frozen in time when we were with each other like we had all the time in the world. Then, she ended us out of the blue. It wasn't until now I realized why."

"Anabel. She ended your relationship because she was with child," said Gwen. It was a statement, not a question. "What would you have done if you knew about it?"

"I would have left Camelot," answered Merlin immediately. "I would have left a note or something, but I really would have left without hesitation."

"That's why she never told you," Gwen said. "I don't think she wanted to pull you away from Camelot, be named a 'runaway' or 'fugitive'."

"So her heart really was in the right place," said Arthur.

"It always was," defended Merlin. "She had just lost her way for a couple years. All because of me." Silence filled the room. Merlin had long told the monarchs that he took full responsibility for Morgana's corruption, how he had poisoned her when he thought all hope was lost. They forgave him, but Merlin could never forgive himself.

"So, the child. Anabel," stated Arthur, clearing his throat. "She is the daughter of an enemy of Camelot."

"Arthur, what the hell are you saying?" exclaimed Gwen, as Merlin's eyes widened in fear.

"A daughter of an enemy," he repeated.

"Arthur, you are crazy if you're thinking of punishing the poor baby because of the matters of birth. The great Arthur Pendragon, the one who admitted knights of no noble blood into the ranks because 'birth means nothing when compared to the deeds before death'! The one who married a servant because you loved me and you didn't give a damn about my position! And may I remind you that the little girl is your niece! Not just because you are the brother of Morgana but the friendship and brotherhood you share with Merlin and don't you dare try to deny it!" ranted Gwen, her eyes murderous. Merlin felt a smile appear on his face to see his friend defend his daughter, no matter who her mother was. _Or had been_, thought Merlin sadly. He looked to Arthur, pleading with him not to punish the little girl.

"What I was going to say, and I'm being completely honest" said Arthur, backing away from his hormonal and frightening wife. "Is that Anabel is the daughter of an enemy. And a great friend of Camelot. She will be admitted with welcome arms into the kingdom. The loyalty, no matter the events that had been mentioned here, of that great friend of Camelot trumps any enemy."

"You're saying-"said Merlin.

"Yes, you bumbling idiot, your daughter has a place here. Now, where is she? I want to meet my niece up close. With any luck, she'd have inherited my side of the family's looks. And intelligence," noted Arthur. "God forbid she got anything from this idiot."

"Intelligence?" scoffed Merlin. "Don't make me-"

"OH!" Gwen loudly groaned, holding her stomach.

"Guinevere!" Arthur said, rushing to her side.

"It's fine – OH!" yelled Gwen once more.

"Merlin! Get Gaius! Hurry!" shouted Arthur. "I think Guinevere's going to give birth!

"Right away, sire!" Merlin said, rushing to the physician's chambers.

* * *

Dawn had approached Camelot. Gwen was in the chambers she shared with Arthur, her screaming heard throughout the castle. Gaius had been attending to her. She was soon to give birth. Arthur was pacing around in the corridor, being thrown out of the chambers by the queen because of his constant worrying and it had been stressing her. Merlin joined Arthur in the corridor, holding Anabel in his arms as she slept. It had been the first time he had gotten the chance to hold his daughter. Luckily, she had survived the teleportation without any harm done. Gaius had confirmed it. He also noted that the baby was no more than two months old. Morgana had her daughter for only about two months before death had reached her suddenly.

"Arthur, calm down," said Merlin, still looking at his daughter. "You're going to wake Anabel."

"Don't you tell me what to do!" exclaimed Arthur. "I'm the king remember!"

"A king who was just thrown out of his chambers by his wife," muttered Merlin.

"What did you say?" demanded Arthur.

"I said that maybe you should hold Anabel for a few minutes. She can help you calm down," said Merlin, standing from his bench and handing Arthur the child. "Better?"

"A little," admitted Arthur. "She's beautiful Merlin. But, I could have sworn her hair was darker like yours earlier. Now it's a little lighter, a bit like Morgana's. Please tell me you won't let her have her mother's hairstyle."

"Hey!" exclaimed Merlin. "She kept it normal when she was with me. And, I have no idea about her hair. Gaius even mentioned once that he had seen a few strands of blonde hair on her head for a split-second, but when he looked back, it was normal. He thinks that he must have imagined it."

Silence filled their conversation before Arthur spoke,"And this is when you get one of your funny feelings or theories. Come on, I know you have one."

"Well, she had been the child of the two most powerful sorcerers in the world," mentioned Merlin.

"Not to mention that one of them is the most humble," muttered Arthur. "And people say I'm a braggart."

"What was that? Oh whatever. I mean, she has to have magic. Morgana and I were both born with magic, even if hers showed up much later in life," he explained. However, it seemed his explanation had been ignored by Arthur as he was busy cradling Anabel in his arms and getting her to wrap her hand around his finger while he bore an entertained expression on his face. It looked as if the king was no longer paying attention to his sorcerer, only to the sorcerer's daughter.

"Aw, is that the tough king of Camelot losing his focus over his niece?" asked Merlin in a mocking tone.

"Don't be ridiculous," said Arthur, making the slightest gesture to hand Anabel back to her father before continuing cradling her. "Merlin! Look, she's opening her eyes! She's waking up! Hi there, Anabel! I'm Arthur, I'm your uncle. Promise me you'll make your father's life a living hell."

Merlin rolled his eyes at his friend's sudden fondness and cooing for her. He looked over and saw that Anabel was awakening. Her eyes seemed to have been inherited from Merlin. He imagined those eyes turning gold as a sign of her magic. He felt as if the child held a strong force of magic within her. She could have the potential of becoming a High Priestess, who had been newly reformed after the return of magic, if Merlin would dare part with her to become such, but he knew he would never. Already, he loved the little girl so much and it seemed Arthur did too.

The door opened, and Gaius said,"Sire, your child."

"What is it, Gaius?" said Arthur, his attention turning towards the physician. "Is the child healthy? How about Guinevere?"

"Of course, and the queen is doing nicely as well. Come in," the old physician said.

Merlin took Anabel from Arthur's arms so he could hold his new child. "So, is it a boy or a girl?" asked Merlin.

Gwen said," It's a boy. We're naming him Joshua."

Arthur spoke with his new son in his arms," Joshua _Merlin_ Pendragon."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Ahhhh, all is well in Camelot. Anabel is loved, Joshua is born, and his middle name is Merlin! Isn't that sweet? Anyways, I feel like this would actually be a pretty good ending to the fanfic, but I refuse to end it. I still have to bring in the main plot of the story! But if I had gone along with my old plan on making this less than 5 chapters, I'd probably end it right here. But, because it's me, I need to add in some action and drama, so stay tuned next chapter!**

**As always, thank you so much for reading and please review! The next chapter should be out maybe Friday or before! **


	5. Mommy?

**Author's Notes: So this was never really my true intent, but as I got stuck writing the next chapter, this idea popped into my head. A series of one-shots! Don't worry, the rest of the story will not be one-shots, but just for a few chapters to show Anabel and Joshua growing up since the plot I have in mind would work much better with them in their teen years, but I also want to show them as young children. I have no idea how many of these I will type, but I am planning maybe from four to six. It won't be a lot because I do want to return to the main plot of the story. Some of the one-shots may or may not allude to something in the main plot, it just depends on what idea comes up to mind. So, without further ado, here's the first one-shot! **

**Note: These one-shots are not in chronological order. One of them may have Anabel as ten with the next one with her as five**

* * *

**Exposition**: Anabel is four years old. She returns to the adjacent chambers she shares with her father after spending the day with Gwen babysitting her and Joshua. After playing with her cousin, she has a question on her mind that she asks Merlin.

* * *

"Daddy!" called a little girl's voice from the door that had just opened.

"Anabel," said Merlin calmly, sitting on a chair after a full day of Court Sorcerer duties and putting up with the prat King, who seemed to be so clueless on magic even after all the time he had known about it and legalized it throughout Camelot. Just that day, the king had asked the druid ambassador if he could alert the "King of Druids" of a potential threat from a neighboring kingdom that outlawed magic and was enforcing it more thoroughly than before. The druid ambassador looked at Arthur with a confused look before excusing himself from court to alert the "King of Druids" about said threat. This left Merlin having to explain to Arthur that the druids had no king and he was quickly becoming the laughing stock of sorcerers everywhere.

"Daddy! I missed you today!" said Anabel brightly, placing herself on her father's lap.

"I missed you too, princess," said Merlin, feeling his energy return upon seeing his daughter. Many said that the young sorceress had inherited many from Merlin, such as his raven hair and blue eyes, but he could not help but deny the many things she received from her mother. Her mother's pale but beautiful complexion and her long wavy hair were among many things.

"Princess? But I thought that's what we call Uncle Arthur?" asked the young sorceress, her head tilted.

"Yes, he's a bit of a princess, but you're my princess," said Merlin laughing. "But don't you dare call him that to his face or he'll have you in the dungeons!"

"No dungeons! It's scary and dark in there!" she protested. "And the food is nasty!"

"Trust me, I've had my share of dungeon time," said Merlin darkly. "Uncle Arthur's father had me thrown in a couple times. And the stocks." It had dawned on Merlin the irony that Uther was technically his father-in-law and Anabel was Uther's granddaughter.

Anabel laughed and grew silent. This puzzled Merlin as the young girl was always talking, so he asked, "Anything on your mind there?"

"No," she said, but with hesitation. "Yes."

"Have an answer for me?"

"Yes, there is. Daddy, why is it that Joshua has a daddy and a_ mommy_? I only have a daddy. And the other kids have mommies too, like the knights' kids," she said quietly. "I asked Auntie Gwen about it, but she looked really sad when I talked about it. So I stopped talking about it and played with Joshua. But daddy, do I have a mommy? Where is she?"

Merlin's eyebrows raised in response to her question, while his eyes looked into the distance as they filled with sadness. Anabel had asked this question before, but it was usually when she was halfway asleep so she hardly retained any of the information. He knew that the little girl deserved to know what happened to her mother, but he never imagined himself bringing up the subject. It was a painful subject to bring up to the little girl, that her mother had done evil things before and she was dead.

"Yes, you do have a mommy," said Merlin, looking back at his daughter. "She's in – she's in a better place now."

"Where's that?" she asked curiously.

"It's confusing to talk about. But she's happy," he replied.

"Wouldn't she be happier with us?"

"Yes, I reckon she would. But, sometimes we're not always given that choice," he said.

Silence filled the room again before she asked, "Did she have magic like you and me?"

He nodded in reply and said, "Yes, she did have magic. She was powerful."

"Was she a good person? You told me that people with magic aren't always good," she said.

"She made a few mistakes along the way, but yes, she was a good person in the end," replied Merlin. "Come, it's dinner time. We're eating with Uncle Arthur and Auntie Gwen tonight."

"Okay! Will you tell me more about mommy later tonight?" she asked.

"Of course, sweetheart," he said.

In time, Merlin did tell Anabel everything there was to know about her mother. Everything she did good and everything she did that was not. Of course, with her very young age, he emphasized her good deeds. However, he knew she deserved the full truth and he did not want her to fall prey to the talk of the nobles who were often gossiping about his affair with Morgana and the result of that. He didn't want her to hear the unpleasant words they said without her having a clue behind the meaning of them and not knowing the good things her mother did. He told her more of the full story as she grew up. It wasn't until she was around thirteen years old when she heard the full story, with the good and the bad, of her mother. She was often shocked when she heard the evil things her mother did, but in time, she came to accept it and she loved her mother, even if she had never gotten the chance to know her and despite the mistakes she made. For the love between a parent and a child can transcend all barriers, even the most powerful ones such as the one between life and death.

* * *

**Author's Notes: So, that's the first of the one-shots. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please let me know if I should continue doing this or just timeskip to the main plot of the story.**

**Thank you for reading and please review!**


	6. Meeting

**Exposition: **Anabel and Joshua are fourteen years old. They are hunting in the woods together when they meet Dilan and Dayana.

* * *

"I think I'm winning," taunted Anabel, holding her stash of dead rabbits in her cousin's face.

"Shut up, Annie," groaned the young prince. He had only managed to kill a squirrel after two hours of hunting in the woods. It was not the prince's day.

"Speak up, Josh, I can't hear you. Success is just so _loud_," taunted Anabel once more. Her attention turned towards a noise she heard behind her, the sound of a small animal running across dead leaves. She summoned the magic within her, the result being a quick golden glow of her eyes, causing the small animal which was another rabbit to quickly paralyze before Anabel sent a crossbow bolt into its body.

"I saw that!" complained Joshua. "Your eyes! You've been using magic this whole time! Annie!"

"Oh relax, Josh," said Anabel casually. "You're good with a sword and crossbow so you use that. For me, I'm good with magic so I use that. I don't see a difference."

"The difference is that a sword and crossbow can't paralyze something from a distance so it's easier to kill!" said Joshua indignantly. "And showing off is just rude and –"

At this point, Anabel's attention had turned away from her complaining cousin and onto a feeling that suddenly came over her. While Joshua continued to ramble on, she honed in on her magical senses and scanned the woods. Her father had been teaching her how to use her own magic to sense other magical beings and presences, a skill she had only begun to understand. She felt as if her magic was being released from her body and was blanketing the woods in an invisible fog, scanning for other signs of magic. It was an uncomfortable feeling, she felt vulnerable. Merlin had told her, in time, this skill would soon come instinctively and the feeling of exposure would fade away. All she could do was to hope that with practice, she'd be able to master it.

Eventually, the metaphorical, invisible, magic-searching fog that she summoned focused on a single point. This point was by the creek. She then switched into her foresight ability, a skill that she surprisingly excelled at, and maneuvered her magical senses to move through the forest with ease which were directed to the creek. She was able to see everything wherever her magic went. When her "magical eye" reached the creek, she found a person resting his or her leg onto the water. Streams of red were emerging from the leg and into the clear water. Anabel, with her "magic sensor" could feel that his life force was weakening with every second. It was enough for Anabel to know she must help.

"Josh, shut up!" she exclaimed, realizing that the prince was still complaining on the subject of "magic vs. sword".

"Wait, what?" he asked. Rarely anyone talked to the prince of Camelot in such a manner, but Anabel was not afraid to. Her father and his parents often laughed at this as her relationship with her cousin often mirrored the one Merlin and Arthur shared.

"I said, shut up!" Anabel repeated. "We need to go the creek."

"Why? Did you use your 'great magical skills' to realize that there's a bunch of game at the creek that you want to kill and to rub in my face?"

"No, you idiot! Someone's hurt badly and we need to help them!" exclaimed Anabel. The prince immediately quieted down as the two mounted on their horses and rushed towards the creek.

* * *

Everything was how Anabel saw in her "magical vision". Except for the fact that the person was lying face down onto the ground and the streams of red water were larger than before. The cousins looked at each other with an urgent look before they quickly dismounted from their horses to attend to the person.

Joshua took the person out of the water and turned the person over, and it was revealed that it was a young teenage boy, around the same age as Anabel and Joshua. He had long, dark brown, messy hair that came down to his eyebrows. Anabel couldn't help but notice the attractiveness of this young male. He seemed to be of tall stature and he wasn't well-muscled but he wasn't lanky. It strangely made him more attractive in Anabel's eyes.

"Anabel, look at this," said Joshua, snapping her out of her sudden gaze at the boy. He pointed towards a long cut on his lower leg that was bleeding quite a lot. "Got any magic to help with this?"

"I don't know, maybe Gaius and Alice have something. They tried teaching me healing magic before, but I'm terrible at it," admitted Anabel sadly. "Go get them, I'll stay with him. Hurry, Josh!"

Joshua mounted his horse and quickly made his way back to Camelot to retrieve the two Court Physicians. Gaius and Alice had taken the position of Court Physicians dually. Gaius often healed scientifically while Alice handled it magically whenever the situation was dire enough to call for it.

When he left, Anabel looked at the boy. Placing her hands over his leg wound, she incanted, "_Þurhhæle licsar min_!" It was the only healing spell she had ever successfully cast, and it was a rudimentary at most. A blinding light surrounded their area and Anabel felt a blazing heat on the boy's leg. Alice had told her in healing lessons, lessons she dreaded, that the spell was very old and sometimes unreliable. Its purpose was to heat the skin in order to cauterize the wound.

The boy's eyes fluttered open, revealing a pair of piercing gray eyes, and he groaned, "Come on Dayana, you've got better spells that. Wait, you're not Dayana. Who are you?"

"I'm Anabel," said Anabel. "I'm from Camelot, who are you?"

"I am no one," he said, attempting to get up.

"No, don't! You can't move on that leg," she said, somehow finding her hand on his shoulder for him to lay back down. "And you have to have a name, come on, what is it?"

"It's Dilan," he admitted. "So, Anabel, tell me, do you have magic?"

"Yes, I do," she said. "I healed you, sort of. Sorry, I'm horrible with healing."

"No, you did what you could, I appreciate that," he said. "But we have to get out of here, there's a magic hunter running around. That's how I ended up like this."

Even with the legalization of magic throughout Camelot, there was still anti-magical sentiment scattered across the realm. To hunt those with magic was considered a crime, punishable with a long imprisonment. However, some people of Camelot still wished for the kingdom to be eradicated of magic so magic hunters were often found selling their services in the black market. Merlin worked hard on trying to convince the people magic was something that should tolerated, not hunted and hated.

"A magic hunter?" questioned Anabel. "They wouldn't dare come this close to Camelot."

"We're near Camelot?"

"Yes," said Anabel. "Exactly how did you end up like this?"

"Well-"

"GET AWAY FROM HIM RIGHT NOW!" shouted a female voice from the distance. Anabel whirled her head around to find a teenage girl holding her hand up, a well-known warning between sorcerers and sorceresses that indicated they had magic. The girl was approaching Anabel and Dilan slowly, hand still raised. She had curly blonde hair and amber eyes. She looked about Anabel's age of fourteen.

"I said, get away from him!" repeated the girl.

"Dayana, it's fine," Dilan said. "She was helping me."

"Yeah, he was hurt and –" Anabel began.

"Be quiet Anabel!" the girl, whose name was apparently Dayana, commanded.

She took a step back and said, "How do you know who I am?"

"'Anabel, great daughter of the great Emrys! A force to be reckoned with, considering who her father is!'" Dayana said in a fake dramatic voice.

"Excuse me?" asked Anabel, taken aback at her sudden apprehensiveness.

"You're Emrys' daughter?" asked Dilan, a little shocked.

"Apparently, you're supposed to be some great sorceress according to the druids all because of your father is Emrys. Apparently, the daughter of Emrys isn't so bright!" Dayana exclaimed.

"Dayana!" interjected Dilan. "Leave her alone, she was just helping me."

"You're taking _her_ side? _Hers_?" asked Dayana, even though it was more like a challenge than anything.

"Dayana, you're letting your anger get in the way of your judgment. Remember, she helped me."

_Anger? Why is she angry at me_, thought Anabel, who though it best not to bring up the question.

"Anabel! Anabel! Where are you?" called Joshua's voice from the distance.

"We need to leave!" Dayana said.

"You can't leave, especially with Dilan hurt. Don't worry, my cousin brought help," Anabel said, though her statement was more directed towards Dilan than Dayana.

* * *

Dilan and Dayana were brought to Camelot. Dilan's leg was quickly healed, thanks to the efforts of Gaius and Alice. It was amazing what they accomplished together. Instead of the large gash she had seen earlier, all it looked like was a long but simple cut.

"So, tell me, what harm has befallen on you two?" asked Arthur. They were gathered in the throne room. Arthur and Gwen sat side-by-side on the thrones, with Merlin standing to the right side of the king. Anabel and Joshua stood beside Dilan and Dayana.

"Magic hunters," said Dilan.

"You have magic?" asked Merlin.

"Yes, both of us," said Dilan. Dayana seemed to not want to talk and she would sometimes throw Anabel a look. This caused her to move next to Dilan, which strangely caused her heart to flutter around. It was a new feeling to her, but it felt nice. She often found herself gazing at him while he talked, where she received a knowing snicker from Joshua to which she responded with a spell that made it a difficulty to hold his trousers up.

"A magic hunter found us the other day and pursued us. He found me alone and left this big cut on my leg. I used my magic to try to alert Dayana about me in danger, but I guess my magic found Anabel instead because I passed out and the next thing I knew, she was trying to heal me," explained Dilan.

"Gaius and Alice told me that had she not found you in time, you surely would have been on the brink of death," mentioned Merlin.

"I would have found him seconds later," grumbled Dayana in a low volume that the adults could not hear, but it was enough for the rest of them.

"So, tell me, do you have parents?" asked Gwen. "Are you brother and sister?"

"No, we're just – friends," said Dilan, his eyes shifting. "We're both orphans, we lost our parents recently to magic hunters. They attacked our village. Our village refused to have us anymore because of our magic. They lost a lot of lives from the attack. We've been on the run ever since."

A dark look cast over Merlin and he said angrily, "Where's your village? They can't kick you out because of something you can't control."

"No, please," said Dayana. It was the first time she spoke. "We understood their anger, our two families were the only ones with magic in the entire village. The magic hunters have been coming to the village for weeks, demanding to find our families. The village got tired of lying and turned us in. They came at night. We barely had the chance to escape, our families gave their lives to let us go."

"You two look so young to be on the run," Gwen said sympathetically, turning to look at Arthur.

"I agree," Arthur said. "Please, spend some time in Camelot."

"My Lord?" asked Dayana, shocked.

"Yes, take as much time as you wish here in Camelot until you can find a good home. You could even live out your youth-hood if you want here! I'd hate to see such young people on the run for so long. We'll have two chambers cleared out for you," said Gwen.

"No, no, that isn't necessary," said Dayana.

"Of course it is," said Gwen. "Please, I insist."

Dilan and Dayana looked at each other before Dilan said, "We are grateful for your offer, Your Majesties. I promise, we will find a home soon. Until then, we will try our best not to get in the way of things. "

"Nonsense," said Arthur. "You possibly couldn't do any more damage than Merlin here."

* * *

And, just like that, two small chambers were cleared out for the two young sorcerers. After a few days of assimilating into life in Camelot, Anabel entered Dilan's chambers to chat with him. She cursed herself because she felt her heart flutter around again when she placed her hand on the doorknob. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

However, it seemed he was already preoccupied with Dayana when she entered. And they were not chatting. They were sitting on his bed, their lips locked together. Anabel's eyes widened and she felt her heart drop. She still could not understand why her heart was suddenly going through these feelings, it was all so new to her. All she knew was the way it felt now, she did not like it. She attempted to walk out of the room without a sound, but she found her foot causing a floorboard to creak loudly. This caused the two on the bed to break apart and notice the sudden intruder.

"I am so sorry!" said Anabel awkwardly. "I – uh – just wondering how you two were settling in. I'm going to go now."

"No, let me," said Dayana crossly, leaving the room.

"I am really sorry," said Anabel again once Dayana left the room.

"Don't be," said Dilan, waving his hand away. "It's nothing really. Come sit."

"So, you and her?" asked Anabel, taking a seat on the bed but at a considerable distance from him. "How long?"

"Ever since the attack. Our parents always wanted us to be together. When we lost our parents, we only had each other to lean on for support. Then, I guess, we just sort of 'happened'," he explained. "Please, don't think she's some horrible person. She's not. She just lost her mother."

"How about her father?" asked Anabel curiously. "He died before the attack?"

"He's been dead for as long as she remember," said Dilan, looking at her with a complicating look. "There's a reason why she doesn't like you a lot."

"What is it? I've never done anything to her."

"It's not what you did," said Dilan. "It's what your mother did."

"What? My mom?" asked Anabel, bracing herself. After her entire lifetime of hearing snide remarks about her mother, listening to her father explain that she wasn't always a good person, after everything she ever heard about her mother, she still hated every time someone would bring her up. She hated every snide remark a noble would of her. She hated whenever her father would bring up a story about her. She hated the unexplainable but horrible feeling she felt whenever she was told of her mother's dark side. It made her feel like the daughter of a witch. She knew that in the end Morgana died a good person and she accepted it, but her past seemed to haunt Anabel's present and future.

"What did my mother do, Dilan?" repeated Anabel. "Please, I have to know."

"She killed Dayana's father. Long after the Battle of Camlann."

* * *

**Author's Note: So, here's the second one-shot! It was really close to the main plot, I was considering storing it until the main plot actually came back, but I figured since it was already typed up that I might as well publish it considering how long it has been without an update and it saves time for the actual main plot. So yeah, here's Dilan and Dayana! Like Dilan said, please don't judge Dayana too soon. You'll see what I mean when the main plot comes back. She's much better and nicer. **

**This is probably going to be the only time I touch upon Dilan and Dayana in the one-shots, but we'll see them around soon. I'm planning for maybe three more one-shots before I age them up to sixteen and start the main plot. **

**Thanks a lot for reading and please leave a review! I love getting those! **

_**PS: To my True Extent readers, there's a chance there will be an update tomorrow but I cannot promise it. But there should be one by Wednesday. That, I can promise. Sorry for the delay!**_


	7. Dreams

**Exposition**: Anabel is seven years old. Merlin and Arthur are on a diplomatic mission to a kingdom in the Northern Plains, so Anabel and Joshua are left in the care of Guinevere. It is in the late hours of the night when Anabel wakes up from a horrible dream. The beginning of the story is told in first person POV of Anabel, with the rest in third person.

* * *

_Where am I? I asked myself. My vision was cloudy, like I was going through a fog. I tried to remember a spell daddy taught me, something to make the fog blow away, but it was hopeless. I could not think of anything to dispel the fog. Maybe I should have paid more attention to daddy when he gave me magic lessons. _

_Suddenly, I felt the fog beginning to fade away even though I had not incanted a single spell. It was becoming easier to see. I heard voices, but they sounded as if they were far away. I became curious, so I ran towards the voices. Although the fog was much lighter, my vision still felt clouded. All I could see were silhouettes of things._

_I saw the silhouette of a person lying on a table. I couldn't make out any features of the person, the fog was still too deep and they seemed so far away. I did make out long hair from the person, so I assumed a woman was lying on it. I noticed another person walking around the table with something in his or her hand. I couldn't make out any features of this person at all, only that it was the silhouette of a human in a hooded cloak. Suddenly, the voices became clearer, as if they were talking face-to-face with me._

_"You won't get away with this!" shouted the woman's voice from the table. "I will hurt you!"_

_When the other person responded, it was so distorted that I could not tell if it was a man or woman. "My dear, it is hard to hurt someone when you are dead."_

_"What are you-" _

_"You have no more use for me. Goodbye, my dear." _

_An ear-splitting scream blared throughout the entire dream._

* * *

Anabel screamed, one that could have been heard throughout the entire castle. Maybe even the lower town.

"DADDY!" she cried. Tears were streaming down her face as she buried her head between her knees. She knew her father was not there to help her.

"Anabel!" exclaimed Gwen as she rushed into her niece's room. Gwen had Anabel sleep in the room across from hers so that she could keep a better eye, and ear in this case, for the young sorceress. She did not mind as she didn't want to feel so alone in the two-room chamber so shared with her father.

"Auntie?" Anabel asked tentatively, her head still between her knees. "I want daddy."

"I know, sweetheart, I know," said Gwen, hugging the poor child. "Daddy will be back soon. Trust me."

"I want him now," she replied as the tears continued running down her face. "Why isn't he here? I want him!"

"It's okay, it's okay," Gwen said, placing her on her legs as she cradled her. "But, Auntie's here. Is there anything I can do? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Okay," she said sadly, wiping tears from her face. "I had a dream, it was bad. And really scary."

"Annie?" called a caring voice at the doorway. It was revealed to be Joshua. His blonde hair was in a tangled mess and his chocolate brown eyes were open with alert.

"Joshua, what are you doing up so late?" asked the queen to the young prince.

"I heard Annie scream. Annie, are you okay?" he asked. She nodded in response and opened her arms. He ran to her and they hugged in a sibling-like way. Gwen could never figure out the relationship between the two kids. Just that day, they had been fighting over who got to play with some silly old toy. It came to the point where the toy had been thrown out the window and landed onto an unsuspecting noble's head. But after the toy broke, Gwen found them happily scheming together on ways to steal food from the kitchens. And now, there was this.

"Come here, Joshua," Gwen said, placing him on the bed with Anabel. "Do you want to hear a story to make you feel better? You might enjoy it to, Josh."

"Okay," they said in unison.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful woman who lived in a grand castle. She was an orphan, but she was granted a high place in the kingdom as the king's ward. She had a servant, but they both considered each other as friends. They would spend the entire day together, shopping, riding, conversing, anything. But this woman, she suffered nightmares every night. She began to grow distant from her servant, but – Oh."

The two children had fallen asleep on the bed. She pulled a blanket over the two and retired to her own bed. Gwen felt worried about her niece. She was around the same age as Morgana when she had begun to suffer nightmares. The nightmares were less frequent and less violent as a child, but they gradually grew in intensity and frequency as she aged. Gwen had been by her side throughout all the nightmares, but she was not able to make any sense of it all. Merlin had informed them long ago that she nightmares she had suffered were prophetic dreams. She wondered what dream Anabel had received that night and if it was a prophetic one. The next day, Merlin would return to hopefully shine some more light on the situation.

* * *

"Merlin?" Gwen called.

"Yes, Gwen?" asked Merlin. They were gathered at the entrance of the castle. They had just returned from their trip to the Northern Plains. The trip was revealed to be pointless. They had gone there on the intentions of quelling a rebellion of an allied kingdom. But, because of the long journey to the Northern Plains, it turned out the rebels had been subdued with a peaceful compromise by the time they arrived.

"May I talk to you about something important? Arthur, could you watch the kids?" asked Gwen.

"Of course," said the king skeptically before Gwen threw him a look that read, _I will tell you later._ "Come on over Anabel, do you want to go riding with me and Joshua?"

"Okay, Uncle Princess!" said Anabel gleefully. Merlin smirked at Arthur, to which he responded with a groan and a threatening glare.

"You're so lucky you're too cute to be thrown in the dungeons," said Arthur to Anabel jokingly. He grabbed the two children's hands and took them to the stables.

"What's wrong Gwen? Did Anabel do something?" inquired Merlin as he waved goodbye to the other knights.

"Yes and no," replied Gwen. "She started having dreams. Well, nightmares. I fear she may have the prophetic dreams that Morgana suffered."

At the mention of his former and late love, Merlin felt his heart drop. "Did she mention what was in her dream?" he asked slowly.

"No, I didn't want to push it. She was in distress. You know, she is the same age as Morgana when she started her nightmares," Gwen explained. "Do you think it's possible?"

"It's definitely a possibility. The High Priestesses are going to give me hell about this," Merlin groaned.

Ever since her birth and revelation, the newly reformed High Priestesses of the Triple Goddess had always requested that Anabel join the ranks of the Bendrui in hopes of her becoming of the Nine. Merlin knew with all his heart that his daughter had exceptional powers, powerful enough to be one of the Nine. However, he refused point-blank that his daughter join them on the Isle of the Blessed. They often inquired about it as well, claiming that her maternal side of the family was mostly compromised of High Priestesses, her mother and aunt being a few. He did not keep Anabel from the High Priestesses for selfish reasons, although it should be considered selfish for a father to want to raise his daughter. He had consulted with Seers and Prophets across the land, even the most powerful Druid Seers. All have denied ever Seeing Anabel join the Nine but they did See her growing up in Camelot.

"They're still asking for Anabel?" asked Gwen.

"Unfortunately," replied Merlin. "I'll talk to Anabel later tonight, I may have something that will help her."

* * *

"Daddy!" squealed Anabel as she ran into the chamber.

"Anabel, how was riding with your uncle and cousin?" asked Merlin.

"Good!" she replied happily.

"Anabel, I have a gift for you," said Merlin, taking the enchanted bracelet from the table. "Aithusa gave this to me a long time ago. She said that it came from your mother. Your mother gave it to Aithusa for safekeeping. Legends say it has great power. I want you to have it."

"Mommy had this bracelet?" she asked, taking the bracelet from his hands. "What does it do?"

"It helps with bad dreams, Auntie Gwen told me you had one the other night. This will help with it," he explained.  
"Did Mommy have bad dreams too?"

"Yes, she did. I reckon the bracelet helped her a lot, she wore it all the time."

"Then I'll wear it all the time since Mommy did!" said Anabel happily, placing the bracelet on her wrist.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Sorry everyone! For some reason, I've had this sitting in my Doc Manager for awhile and I forgot to update it! I'm really sorry! But anyways, here it is! **

**Thank you for reading and please review! I appreciate every review I receive! **


	8. Beginnings

**Author's Notes: Honestly, I planned for about two more one-shots, but because I'm an unorganized mess, I wasn't able to get my thoughts together to come up with more background stories of Anabel. However, I may or may not decide to throw in a random one-shot during the midst of the main plot of the story. But, in the meantime while I decide, I present to you the main plot of The Child of Dawn and Dusk! **

**Prologue: **Anabel, Joshua, Dilan, and Dayana are around sixteen years old. When we last left the four teens, Dilan and Dayana were offered a place in the royal household. They act as sort of honorary "wards". They have no set guardians, but they both know how to fend for themselves and are considered adults as are Anabel and Joshua. Dilan and Dayana continue to be together, while Anabel has admitted to herself that she does have feelings for Dilan. Dayana's skepticism on Anabel, due to her father dying at Morgana's hand, remains slightly but they have learned to be on friendly terms after living together under the same household, especially when Anabel saved her life once. As for Joshua, he has already been named as crown prince and heir to the throne, with his rite of passage quest already completed at his exceptional young age.

Our story begins at the same time of year where we last began the story: Sorcery Day

* * *

Anabel stood at the staircase of the citadel. She was wearing a blue robe, lined with ancient symbols that she honestly had no clue what they stood for even if her magical studies had become independent. No longer was she under the tutelage of her father and her great-aunt Alice. Her great-uncle Gaius had died several months ago in his sleep, leaving everyone in the royal household in a state of depression of mourning. His death hit Merlin and Alice the hardest. But, today was not a day to focus on his sad death. It was a day to celebrate magic and the good it's brought to the kingdom.

Her father stood beside her, dressed in simple red and gold robes, bearing the crest of Camelot. On the step under her stood Dilan and Dayana. Dilan, whose attractive features in the sunlight made Anabel's heart flutter annoyingly, was dressed in dark grey robes, also lined with ancient symbols that Anabel knew that the young warlock did not know as well. The robes were in a similar fashion as hers. Dayana's robes were the same, but in a darker shade of red than Merlin's. Prince Joshua also stood next to her, wearing his traditional chainmail, knight cape, and his crown that pushed his blonde hair back. They were awaiting the arrival of warlocks and benevolent witches and welcoming them as they came. Sorcery Day in Camelot had become so popular that several kingdoms across the land that supported magic would send many magical representatives to compete in the tournament and partake in the festivities.

Eventually, Merlin allowed the four teenagers to be dismissed from their hosting duties and roam the festivities. As they wandered around, many people would stop and stare at Anabel. Most would shake her hand and say, "It is an honor to meet you, great daughter of Emrys." This would receive a sarcastic eye roll from the other three. However, there would be some people that would look at her with apprehensiveness and sometimes fear, usually leading the people to whisper loud enough to hear, "That's the _spawn_ of the witch Morgana." Joshua and Dilan would clench their fists after hearing such insults, but Anabel refused for them to make a scene. A dark look would often cast over Dayana's face when this happened, remembering that her father died at her hand. To this day, she would refuse to talk about it, even to Merlin who was curious as to how Morgana murdered someone after the Battle of Camlann when she was presumed to be good. She claimed that she did not know the story as she had not been born by then. However, she learned to let go of her anger towards Anabel, especially after she had saved her life long ago, a story that was only known between the two of them. Even Dilan did not know the story.

Speaking of Dilan, his hand was entwined with Dayana's as they walked around. Anabel sighed. She wished it would be her hand in Dilan's, her lips upon his when they were alone. It took her a long time to realize that she had feelings for the boy she found dying by the creek. She merely ignored the flutters in her heart upon seeing him at first. She even was once with a druid boy, the son of the druid ambassador, for a while before she ended it when she realized her feelings for Dilan. The druid boy, whose name was Eralon, was nice and all, but she knew she couldn't be with him if she had feelings for another. Nevertheless, the breakup often caused awkwardness between Merlin and the druid ambassador during Round Table meetings, perhaps more awkwardness than there was between Eralon and Anabel, even though they had not seen each much of each other since the breakup. Only Joshua knew of Anabel's feelings for Dilan. He had guessed it, which she was still confused as to how he knew since the prince was often clueless, and threatened to tell him if she did not admit it. Anabel hated having feelings for Dilan. They had become good friends over the years and she had even developed a stable enough friendship with Dayana. Having feelings for her boyfriend was not exactly the best way to continue their friendship.

* * *

Anabel found herself in a tent with Dilan and Dayana as the three prepared for the magical tournament. Due to the increasing amount of participants and how magic could sometimes be uncontrollable, the magical tournament was moved to a large field on the outskirts of the city. This had been done because of a simple Fire Spell gone wrong from an amateur warlock that set fire to the tournament field. For odd reasons, this Fire Spell could not be doused by water and needed a specific spell to counteract it. Merlin had managed to find the spell but not before damage spread. Because of this, the tournament was decided to be moved outside the city which increased the range of spells a wizard could cast.

A servant had rushed in with three scraps of parchment that bore each of their names. Anabel found herself faced against a random wizard from a visiting kingdom. Dayana was to duel with a young warlock from Camelot.

"Do any of you know some wizard or witch named Fai?" asked Dilan. "I'm not even sure if it's a man or a woman?"

"No, it's probably some newcomer to the tournament," remarked Dayana. "Nothing you won't be able to handle, _sweetie_."

Anabel rolled her eyes unnoticeably and said, "Yeah, you'll be do fine. I'll see you at the finals." She gave him a friendly wink. Anabel, Dilan, and Dayana had actually never made it to the finals of the tournament. The closest was when Anabel advanced the semi-finals and lost to a young woman who cast a spell that turned her vision into darkness. Panicked and afraid, she could not think of any counter-spell which led to her loss. The magic tournament was intense and often packed with many several powerful magicians all across Albion. Sometimes, being the daughter of Emrys was not enough.

"Yeah, I'll manage," said Dilan as a bell sounded, commencing the tournament.

* * *

**Author's Notes: First of all, many apologies for the wait for this chapter! It's been a busy and complicated life for me lately, but I still love FF and I still plan to keep both of my fanfics going. But the wait for updates may be longer than they were in the past, so I do apologize for that. **

**Thank you all so much for reading and please leave a review! I really love them! **


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